Bulgaria’s acting President Iliana Iotova has won the country’s presidential runoff election, near-final results from the Central Election Commission showed on Monday, becoming the country’s first elected female head of state.
With 99.95% of precinct protocols processed, the Iotova-Valchev ticket secured 57.58% of the vote, representing approximately 1.1 million ballots. Their opponents, Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev, received 39.47%, or around 749,500 votes.
Approximately 2.95% of voters selected the option indicating that they supported none of the candidates.
The victory followed a closely contested first round on October 25, when no candidate secured the majority required for an outright win. Iotova and Valchev led with 34.6% of the vote, ahead of Gyurov and Kandev, who received 32%, advancing both tickets to Sunday’s runoff.
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Iotova’s rise to the presidency
Iotova previously served as Bulgaria’s vice president before becoming acting president in January, following the resignation of Rumen Radev, who stepped down to enter the parliamentary race.
Radev subsequently won the parliamentary election and supported Iotova’s presidential candidacy. His political alignment has attracted attention, with many political analysts considering his parliamentary ticket Kremlin-friendly.
Iotova’s victory therefore represents continuity with Radev’s political camp, particularly on foreign policy issues.
Ukraine war remains a key foreign policy issue
Bulgaria’s position on the war in Ukraine is likely to remain an important issue following the presidential election.
Both Iotova and Radev have called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, indicating their preference for negotiations to end the war.
Their position comes amid wider European divisions over how to approach Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the future of diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
Iotova’s election makes her Bulgaria’s first elected female head of state, while her association with Radev ensures continuity in the country’s presidential leadership and its stated preference for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine war.
With information from Reuters.
